


Merry & Bright

by winterisakiller (sparkinside)



Series: Brave Face [3]
Category: British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleson - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Holiday romantic fluff, Love Confessions, Tom is a rambling sweetheart, posted on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28272627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinside/pseuds/winterisakiller
Summary: Christmas is a time for family, hope, and love. After months (and thousands of miles) apart, Tom and Cath find themselves finally back in the same relative place. With Christmas set to be spent with their respective families and plans in place to celebrate together after, Cath is grateful to be home once again but what if Tom has other plans?This story takes place Christmas 2019
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Cath Richardson (OFC), Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Brave Face [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1377337
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Merry & Bright

**Author's Note:**

> So after a long look at my current WIP list and finding nothing but angst with a side of heartbreak and despair, I decided that I wanted to write something fun and happy and Christmasy, thus this story was born. I chose Tom and Cath simply because the idea I had fit them so perfectly. They are one of my few happy pairings and I wanted to highlight that.

[ ](https://ibb.co/sPNmwph)

Cath smiled, shaking her head as she pulled another shirt from her small carry-on, unfolding it and sliding it onto an open hanger. Her childhood bedroom hadn’t much changed in the years since she’d last occupied it. Her mother had changed out the older twin bed for a nicer full and several of the posters that she’d lined her walls with in her early teenage years had been removed, but fundamentally it was the same. It was a comforting thing, standing here once again.

She’d been lucky to get away from the hustle and bustle of London. Her latest gig in the West End was demanding and the final performance before the show closed for the holiday had kept her in the theatre hours later than she’d planned. Had she not thought ahead and packed several days before she’d needed to, Cath wasn’t sure she would have made it home in time for Christmas Eve.

It had been a tradition once she and her siblings all left home, to gather back together Christmas Eve and decorate, bake and just spend time together as a family. Their numbers had grown slowly over the years; her elder brother, Frank, was now married to Jenna (whom Cath adored) and expecting his first little one. Hannah, her younger sister, had dated off and on over the years. She’d been with her current boyfriend nearly a year and a half by this point. And talking with her mother and with Hannah left Cath in no doubt that Henry would be around for the long haul. The thought made her smile, she liked Henry and was thrilled her baby sister seemed so happy.

Her mind flitted briefly to Tom, the smile on her face deepening as his bright, scruffy face flashed in her mind. They’d been together now nearly eight months, though most of that time had been spent with an ocean between them. He seemed to be thriving in New York, the joy radiating off of him as he spoke about the show and the atmosphere of the city that never sleeps warmed her own heart.

While _Betrayal_ had done wonderfully in the West End, it was absolutely thriving in New York. She was so incredibly happy for him, and for the rest of the cast. This had been such a fantastic opportunity and to see it paying off in spades was nothing short of wonderful. Despite all of this, she found herself missing him fiercely. She’d been spoiled by the ability to spend as much time with him as she’d been able when they were both in London. With Tom so far away and with her own work piling up, Cath found herself looking forward to each and every call or video chat with great longing. While it hadn’t been easy, especially not at first with trying to balance the time difference with his schedule and her own, things were working well enough.

Cath had managed to book a flight to New York for the show’s official opening night on Broadway, though it had cost her more favors and good will from her own show’s producers than she cared think on. But seeing the way Tom’s face lit up at the sight of her backstage after the show made it worth every single one. She’d only managed to scrape together enough time for two days in the city before she’d had to rush off back to London. But they’d made the most of her time in New York; squeezing in a quick trip to the MET and a stroll through Central Park. It was strange but fascinating finding herself in places she’s only seen on television and in the movies. Seeing them with Tom at her side made it all the better. And made the horrific jet lag, especially once she’d returned home, worth it in the end.

From that point on, phone and video calls had become the staple of their relationship. Despite time differences and work schedules occasionally wreaking havoc on the time they could spend together, they made it work. No, it hadn’t been easy, but she’d known going to this that it wouldn’t be and wouldn’t have traded any of it for the world.

Tom had called late the previous evening, after he’d made it home from Heathrow. He’d sounded desperately tired but thrilled nonetheless to be home once again, even for a short while. Cath had been soothing and sympathetic, urging him to try and get some semblance of sleep before he made the trek to his mother’s the following day, grateful that he’d made it home in one piece. He’d tried to shrug it off, obviously wanting to spend time with her the only way he could at the moment, but he was clearly fading fast.

“Off to bed with you, Hiddleston,” she’d scolded, unable to keep the smile from her voice. “You need to be awake enough to drive tomorrow. I don’t want to turn on the news and find you’ve driven yourself off into a ditch somewhere, nor does you mum, come to think of it.”

“So demanding,” Tom laughed and she could hear the faint rustling of him readjusting. “I’ve already washed and changed. I just needed to hear your voice before I fell off. Missed you.”

Cath felt her heart melt and had to bite her tongue to keep from speaking the words she’d longed to say for months now. No matter how true they were, she knew Tom was doing his level best to take things slowly this time around. And understanding his past relationships and the toll rushing things had cost him, had Cath hesitant to push for more from him. She knew he cared for her, and deeply, but saying the words “I love you” would be a very big leap. And the last thing she wanted to do was push him.

So instead, she’d answered, “I miss you too. And you’ll see me soon enough. I’m still okay to come to yours on Boxing Day?”

“Of course. I’m counting down the minutes.”

Cath laughed, “You dork. Get some sleep, alright? And let me know you’ve made it safe.”

His laughter echoed in her ear. “But I’m your dork, am I not?”

“You are. Good night, Tom.”

He’d wished her pleasant dreams and rang off. Cath had sat in her living room after, staring down at mobile in her hand. “I love you, you dork.” 

Laughter and the faint hum of music echoed up the stairs and through her opened bedroom door, pulling her back into the present. She didn’t have to be downstairs to know that Frank was gleefully taking turns spinning his mother and his wife around the cramped living room, completely disrupting any attempt they were making at decorating. Cath smiled, hearing the loud shrieks of laughter and halfhearted scoldings of her mother and sister-in-law followed by the deeper rumble of her brother’s laughter. Dancing and laughter were two long lived staples of a Richardson Christmas. Had been for as long as she could remember. Even when things were tight, they had good music and laughter to see them through.

Sighing, Cath took one last look at her opened bag. It took her half a moment to decide that the remainder of her unpacking could stand to wait just a bit longer. With a divisive nod, she turned on her heel and jogged down the stairs.

As she crested the landing, she was greeted by the sight of her mother dipped low, red faced and laughing, held in her brother’s arms.

“Having fun without me I see.”

Frank’s eyes snapped up, twinkling with mirth as he caught sight of his sister on the landing. “Well, if _someone_ hadn’t insisted on unpacking rather than spending time with her _family_ , having _fun_ …”

Cath stood, hands on her hips and laughed, shaking her head. “How are you three years older than me?”

“You just got lucky it seems.” He quickly righted their mother, who lightly slapped him on the arm before pulling back and making her way towards the box of decorations resting on the arm of the beige couch. “Now that you are down here, why don’t you jump in. Han and Henry should be back soon with the wine, then we can start on the tree!”

Chuckling and shaking her head, Cath made her way into the room, taking the piece of garland Jenna held out for her. “Let’s get this party started then.”

Hannah and Henry had arrived twenty minutes later, wine in hand and full of smiles and hugs. They’d been ushered in from the cold and quickly set to work finishing up the last of the room decorations before they moved en mass to tackle the fir tree stood in the far corner of the room. The tree was massive, honestly much too large for the small room, something their mother had scolded Frank on when he’d lumbered in with it that afternoon. But they’d made it work and soon the room was flooded with the soft white of the twinkling lights Frank and Cath had taken turns stringing around the tree.

Laughter and wine surrounded the group as they each took turns hanging various ornaments and teasing one another. Cath had never been so happy to be home. It took a massive holiday like this to gather everyone together, work and life having spread the three Richardson siblings around the UK. And watching the smile that had yet to leave her mother’s face told Cath she was grateful for it as well. 

As the hour grew late and everyone began to shuffle off to their respective rooms for the night (the mock glare Frank gave Henry as he followed Hannah up the stairs and to the room they’d be sharing earned him an eye roll from Cath and Jenna, a sigh from his mother, and a well-aimed finger from Hannah), Cath found herself too wired to sleep. She tossed and turned on the bed, eyes flicking towards her silent mobile. Tom hadn’t called yet, and that in and of itself wasn’t unexpected. He’d most likely gotten a late start and she’d known the roads were packed with last minute travelers.

She jumped out of her skin when the mobile in question began to ring. Scrambling up out of bed, she reached for the phone and smiling at the sight of Tom’s name on the screen, swiped to answer the call.

“You made it to your mum’s yet?”

There was a distinct pause before Tom nervously chuckled. “Um, not exactly.”

“What?” Cath couldn’t stop the sliver of fear that snaked through her. Tom was fine, obviously, he wouldn’t be speaking with her if he wasn’t. But that did little to calm the nerves that erupted within her. The night had turned quite cold and the roads that had been wet before must now be littered with patches of black ice not to mention the chaos the roads must be with last minute travelers rushing to reach their destinations in time for the holiday. “What’s happened? Are you alright?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he quickly reassured her, “there was just something that I needed to do first.”

“Oh?” Now that the panic was starting to subside, Cath’s interest was well and truly peaked.

Tom chuckled again, the soft “ehehehe” doing its level best to warm her insides. It amazed Cath the effect he had on her still. Shouldn’t she be used to it, to him, by now? “I know we agreed to meet up on the day after tomorrow…But something’s come up.”

Her heart dropped again, though she made a valiant effort to staunch the disappointment. He was only home for a short amount of time before he was due back in the States to begin preproduction on ‘Loki’ and there were so many people she knew he wanted to have the chance to catch up with. Besides, it wasn’t as if she wouldn’t get to see him before he left…It would just be later than she’d hoped now. “Oh, okay. I understand. We’ll figure something out.”

“No, no, no, no,” he all but shouted, startling her. “That isn’t what I meant…Christ, I’m massively fucking this up.” She could practically hear him shoving his hand through his hair in nervous frustration. “I just…Can you come outside, please?”

Confusion marred her features, but she stood nonetheless, casting around the room in search of the slippers she’d kicked off earlier. “Okay…Just let me grab my jacket and put my shoes on.”

“Of course.”

Shoes…Shoes…Where were her blasted shoes.

After finding the blasted things half hidden between the dresser and doorjamb, Cath slid her feet into her slippers and grabbed a hoodie from the back of the desk chair. It was one of Tom’s that she’d nicked ages ago, soft and well worn but still thick enough to keep her from freezing. She tiptoed down the short hallway to the staircase and then quietly down towards the door.

The lights were off and Cath nearly stumbled trying to feel her way towards the door. It was stupid, she knew, but she was too focused on whatever it was the Tom was insistent she come outside for to bother with switching on the hall light. The frigid air smacked her in the face as she opened the front door. Gods, it had really gotten cold.

She opened her mouth, about to tell Tom in no uncertain terms that whatever it was he had planned had better be worth nearly freezing her ass off when she caught sight of a familiar car parked at the end of the short drive. “What?” she breathed.

The driver’s side door of the car opened and she watched in growing excitement and confusion as Tom pulled his lengthy frame out and slowly stood to his full height. She could make out his sheepish grin as he ended the call and shoved his phone back into his coat pocket, a thick black parka from what she could see.

“So um, surprise,” he called, walking slowly towards her, hands tucked in the pocket of his jacket. His eyes never left hers as he made his way up the drive and towards the house.

Cath stood, rooted on the front steps, blinking at him in confusion. “But I don’t…”

Tom slowed as he reached the steps, pausing to smile softly at her. “I know I said we’d get together after Christmas at mine…But I just…I needed to see you.”

A choking sob broke from her chest and she lunged at him. Startled but quick on the uptake, Tom caught her tightly in his arms and held her firmly against him. He pressed his lips against her hair and felt her laughter vibrate against his chest. Cath jerked back and swatted him on the arm. “You are such a jerk, scaring me like that.”

“Wasn’t my intention, I swear.”

He pulled her in once more and kissed her firmly. Cath melted into the kiss. It had been far too long since she’d felt the warmth of his lips against hers and the feel of him against her. She’d missed it desperately. When the kiss ended, Cath rested her head against his chest. “You keep kissing me like that and I may forgive you yet.”

“That can certainly be arranged.” She felt the rumble of Tom’s laughter and fought to bite back a groan of annoyance when he pulled back. “But first there is something I need to do.”

Cath raised an eyebrow at this, schooling her features into as neutral a state as she could make them. “And what would that be?” She watched as his eyes darted to the ground and then slowly back up to her face. There was an uncertainty coupled with a naked determination in his eyes that she couldn’t quite make sense of. Surely whatever it was couldn’t be _that_ bad now, could it. In a vain effort to break the tension that was building once more between them, Cath goaded, “Out with it, Hiddleston, before I freeze to death.”

He laughed at her words, though the set of his shoulders still remained tenser than she’d like. “I know when we agreed to try, I asked you to let me go slowly…That you were important enough to me that I didn’t want to risk rushing into something and burning us out in the process.” Cath nodded her understanding, not daring to speak and risk him leaving this, whatever it was, unspoken. “And you’ve been wonderful about all of it, truly more than I probably deserve.” He chuckled nervously at her quirked brow. “You know I have the tendency to run off half-cocked into things and I’ve been fighting with myself about this for a long while now…If it was too soon and if I would be pushing saying…” He shook his head, leaving the thought trailing behind him. “As I was heading out today…And if I’m honest, last night even, I found that not saying it was far worse than thinking it was too much, too soon. So I knew that I had to tell you…But it couldn’t be over the phone and waiting any longer just felt…Sorry, I’m rambling on like a madman.” He took a slow, deep breath before starting again. “I love you. I’ve loved you for quite some time now and I couldn’t not tell you, not any longer…And I realize now how utterly ridiculous and stupidly dramatic all of this is…Coming up here in the middle of the night and pulling you out of a nice, warm house to tell you something I honestly should have said ages ago. But I just…”

What he ‘just’ was lost to the ether as Cath launched herself at him once again, her arms latching tightly around his neck as she pulled his head down for another kiss. Her hands tangled in the unruly mess of curls at the base of his skull as she felt his lips part in surprise. Taking her cue, Cath deepened the kiss, relishing in the feel of his tongue sweeping against hers and in the sure and steady weight of his hands pressed tightly against the swell of her hips. When they parted for air several moments later, Cath found herself laughing at the dazed, but happy expression painted across Tom’s face.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him with a shake of her head. “I love you too, you giant, adorable dork.”

Tom grinned down at her. “But I’m your giant, adorable dork.”

“Always.”


End file.
